living with my boyfriend off base??

Question

i read on an army forum online that once my boyfriend is out of AIT and at his permanent duty station, we can live together OFF base if we're not married, we just aren't permitted to live on base. is this true? what are the rules? thanks in advance for any help.

Answer 1

Depends on the command policy but probably will be allowed as long as he makes all formations and such.

Still, he won't be given any housing allowance for that. They provide him a room in the barracks and won't be paying for an apartment/house elsewhere.

Answer 2

The answer depends on his duty station and rank.

On your first duty station as a lower enlisted soldier you are almost never allowed to live off post if you are not married. However there are some duty stations, like Ft Meade for example, that allow E-4s on occasion to live off post due to lack of barracks space. Typically as you move up in rank it becomes easier to live off post. For example at some duty stations an E-5 has the option to live off post. If your boyfriend is just getting out of AIT he is an E-4 or less. So chances are probably not, but again some places are easier than other.

For officers they can live off post, almost always, from the start. But they dont go to AIT so I am assuming your boyfriend is not an officer.

Also be advised his BAH, housing allowance rate, is much less without depenants. If married a soldier does receive more money for housing expenses.

Answer 3

This sounds about right. The military cannot stop you from living with him and they have no interest in doing so.

The idea of him not having company in AIT is that he simply has no time, you can still live there, off base, yet, you won't be seeing much of him and he will most likely be restricted to his area untuil AIT is over.

I'm reading alot above and see things that don't ring true; there is no rule or regulation that prohibits you and your bf from living off base together, married or not; if you have any questions simply telephone a JAG office at Any U.S. military
base and ask to speak with a JAG (Lawyer), they will tell you.

Been there don that.
Best to save $ now, move there when he is out of AIT.

In the event you get married, you and he will obtain more $ benefits ect; just fyi and not a reason to marry.

Answer 4

My boyfriend was an E3 when we moved into an $800 apartment off base. He didn't ask if could do it he just did it. No one said anything as long as he was there for field day (mandatory once a week room cleaning/inspection). It didn't last long though. Unmarried E3's don't make very much money, so you will be living on a very tight budget. We were unable to do all the fun things we loved like go to the movies. We had to settle for a $40 mattress of craigslist that got us horribly sick because of the mold. We had no furniture and the apartment was so crappy I was too embarassed to have my mom over. There were people who looked like drug dealers on all sides of us lol. After 1 month he moved back into the barracks and I moved back home! Wait til you are married! We are getting married in 7 weeks and will be moving into a nice apartment by the beach! yay

Answer 5

I had a conversation with a former soldier about this not too long ago... here is the deal with moving off post...
1. it depends on the post you are stationed at... different post have different rules
2. it depends on your rank... most CONUS bases make you live on base until you are an e-5 and international bases until you reach e-4
3. Sometimes they will let more people move off base depending on how crowded the housing is
4. if he does move off base he won't be getting paid any for it if they are providing a bed for him on post, which means to live in a decent place half of his pay check and half of your paycheck will have to pay for housing... not smart when he can save up his money over a 4 year enlistment period, I know people who have got out of the army with 20,000 dollars saved up becuase they lived and ate on post, then took advantage of the Leave by back option and the G.I bill... be smart about it, the military is going to use him.... so it is at his benefit to use them back!

Answer 6

May be right, but your boyfriend will have to keep any barracks room issued to him and can be told by his chain of command that he HAS to live on base. Plus your boyfriend will be earing about a $1 a month the first year he is in. He should live on base and save his money. If you want to work and earn enough money to live near him that would be ok, but if you guys have any plans for a real future you should look at finances from an adult view and paying for him to live off base on E1 through E3 pay is pretty fiscally piss poor planning.

Answer 7

Military Housing is strictly for married families. Otherwise you will have to live off base until you got married then he can move you on to base with him. Also if he is transfer to another location he would have to pay for your moving not the army.
You would be better off getting married.

Answer 8

It all depends on his rank and barraks availibility. If he's below the rank of E-5 which I'm assuming he is, having just enlisted, he will most likely have to live in the barraks, and you won't be able to live with him. The only way to get around this is to get married, and you'll then be eligable for on post housing, or bah, and then would be able to live off base.

Answer 9

while it is true that you cannot live on base unless you are married, it is ALSO possible that he will NOT be allowed to live off base either. he may be required to stay in the Barracks until a certain paygrade. In fact if he is e3 and below, he will NOT be able to afford it, as he will not be eligible for BAH.

Answer 10

That is true, the military keeps the housing on base for married couples and their children,

He will also not be able to receive variable housing allowance because you are not married.

The variable housing allowance is no tax monies to help service members support themselves off base.